User blog:JonathanMarkoff/Detinan Deities
The people of Detina believed that their destiny was interlocked that of several divine beings. Both the indigenous blond people and dark-haired colonists who founded the Kingdom of Detina believed in at least two sets of gods. However, belief was not the same as respect and worship. After the conquest of western Detina, the defeated blonds continued believing in their own gods. Nevertheless, some of them believed that these gods, while truly existing, were weak and unworthy of worship, and began to worship the conquering people's gods instead. =Gods of the Blonds= Death Lord Death Lord was the god of death in the pantheon of the indigenous inhabitants of Detina. Even before coming into conflict with the gods of the ethnic Detinans, his pantheon was weak, and he and his fellow gods could barely protect their worshipers from night spirits and ghouls, causing the blonds to develop an age-old superstition. When the ethnic Detinans arrived from the mother kingdom, the superiority of the Lion God, the Thunderer, and other gods from across the Western Ocean became apparent, and within a few generations even most western blonds did not worship the indigenous pantheon. Ethnic Detinans thought of them contemptuously, if at all. A common curse among those blonds who clung to the worship of their pantheon was "Death Lord pull you under the dirt and cover over your grave." The Death Lord's analog in the dark-haired people's pantheon was the Soulstealer. Red Lady The Red Lady was a goddess in the pantheon of the indigenous inhabitants of Detina. Even before coming into conflict with the gods of the ethnic Detinans, her pantheon was weak, and she and her fellow gods could barely protect their worshipers from night spirits and ghouls, causing the blonds to develop an age-old superstition. When the ethnic Detinans arrived from the mother kingdom, the superiority of the Lion God, the Thunderer, and other gods from across the Western Ocean became apparent, and within a few generations even the blonds did not worship the indigenous pantheon. Ethnic Detinans thought of them contemptuously, if at all. =Gods of the Kingdom of Detina= Hunt Lady The Hunt Lady was a Detinan goddess. A popular curse in her name was "May the Hunt Lady flay them." Ned of the Forest frequently invoked the Hunt Lady.Sentry Peak, pgs. 34, 64. Lion God The Lion God was one of the two greatest deities in the Detinan pantheon of Mount Panamgam, and was the most widely worshiped and sacrificed to. Like all the Detinan gods, he lived on a mountain beyond the sky. His physical manifestation was as a heroic male human body with the head and tail of a lion and claws on his hands and feet. Like all the great gods of Detina, he seemed to be rather withdrawn from human affairs. However, both the pious (such as Leonidas the Priest) and the self-important (such as Bell, who may have met the Lion God and the Thunderer in a vision in which he was promised command of the Army of Franklin, or may instead have hallucinated the entire affair under the influence of laudanum) believed he was actively providing them with special protection. However, southron soldiers Rollant and Smitty witnessed proof that the Lion God favored King Avram to the point that he performed miracles for those who invoked Avram's name in prayer. Soulstealer The Soulstealer was the Detinan god of death. Someone who survived a narrow brush with death would say that the Soulstealer's cloak had brushed by him.Sentry Peak, p. 96. The Soulstealer's analog in the blond people's pantheon was the Death Lord. Sweet One The Sweet One was the Detinan goddess of love and sexuality. Her worshippers showed her reverence by extending their middle fingers skyward. Thunderer The Thunderer is one of the two greatest gods of the Detinan pantheon. Like all the Detinan gods, he lives on Mount Panamgam beyond the sky. His symbol is the lightning bolt. He is not quite as widely reverenced as the Lion God, but he has tremendous authority over human affairs as a god of war and political power. Kings of Detina and other kingdoms which worship him are crowned by his hierophants. The self-proclaimed northern king Geoffrey found a sympathetic priest of the Thunderer to crown him king of northern Detina after Geoffrey's cousin Avram was crowned king of all the kingdom, at the beginning of the Detinan Civil War. Despite his potential for influence in these roles, the Thunderer is more withdrawn from the details of human affairs than many who believe he favors them might wish. However, the Thunderer loved King Avram, and performed miracles for those who invoked his name toward the close of the Civil War. =Other= Mount Panamgam Mount Panamgam is the home of the gods who make up the Detinan pantheon. It is considered to be located beyond the sky. Literary comment Mount Panamgam is a pun on Mount Olympus, home of the Ancient Greek gods; i.e., Olympic Games, Pan American Games. References Category:Blog posts